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H. C. KENDALL.

MEANS FOR SUPPLYING MOISTURE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 24.1916.

Patented July 29, 1919.

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'rur: coullnnm PLANOGIIAPH cm, WASHINGTON. n. c.

HAZEL c. K NDALL, or

ALLsrom AssAcHUsE-Trs, AssIGNon 'ro P I, BQST ILJY Q QEH E T$ I ALFRED HALL, or

MEANS r03 SUPPLYING/MO-ISTURE.

Spcifiiiat iion Letters latent. 1 Patented J 1115 29, 1919.

I Application filed october24, 1916 Serial No. 127,483.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, HAZEL C. KENDALL; a citizen of the United States, residing. at Allston, in the county of Suffolk and State of. Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Means,- for Supplying Moisture, of which-the: following is a specification. r I "a This invention has reference to improve ments in means for supplying moisture; and while the; embodiment thereof disclosed--here-.

in is-shownyin'connection with an envelop sealer, its principles are applicableytoother devices-requiring a supply of-moisture; The main objects of the invention are to provide means of this characterwwhich, although extremely simple lIlnCOIlStIllCtlOIl and efiicientin operation, will keep constant the supply off-moisture,- i'n' the moistening pad or other moisture receiving element irrespective'of the amountof :moisture withdrawn therefrom either by use or evaporation ;-and which is not affected by movement ofthede vice in which it embodied so-that there is no danger of the-jfluid being splashed out of its source --of supply over the moisture receiving element by a sudden movement th reof; 7 1, Other objects of the-invention will appear from the following description.

-The invention consists primarilyin the construction and relative arrangement: of two con-duits with respect to the moisture receiving elementand thesource from which the moisture is drawn to said -moisture receiving'element'. i

The invention further consists in such other novel features as shall hereinafter-be described and pointed out' inthe claims. Referring to the drawings: Figure 1, represents a'side elevation of an envelop sealer embodying my invention. I :Fig. 2, represents aplanview ofsame- Figs; 3,4 and 5- represent sectional views respectively taken on the lines 3"-3,"4-4, and 5 50f FigrQ. I r f H Like characters of reference-designate correspondingpa-rts throughout. The envelop sealer shown in thedrawings is similar to the one described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 91,236-and isprovided with the oylindricahtank 10- 1which serves asa' handle as 'well as a container for the water -or other moisten-ing-flui d. Said tank consists of the tube =11 having its rear end closed: and its other -end counter-sunk into the plate 12 having the threaded opening- 13 olosed by the removable air-tight cap 14. Said plate 12 is provided with the forwardly projecting bracket 15 to which the pressersfoot 1,7: is attached.

Secured at .OIlBBIlCl to the plate 12 isthe rectangularmoistening pad support 19 of sheet metal on which is sustained the pad 20' by; the; pocket 21: :at its forward end and by the pjairi of'lugs 22 and '23, at its rearend. Theftank 10 is in communication with the moisteningpad 7 20 through the comparatively; small conduits 25 and 26, both of which are made in the plate 12, andzextend from the; lower part of the forward end of said-,tank'to said moistening pad. The cond it. or: 'airlyent '25 is preferably slightly longerthanthe conduit 26 and'its outer end is-locatedneare'r the top ofthe pad; (Fig.4.) Qn the under-side of the tank 10 is secured the post 27;;

To fill thetank {with wateror other fluid, itscapM-is removed and the fluid admitted through the opening; closed thereby, while the? tank is held a substantially upright position.- Upon replacing the cap and returning'the -sealer to its operative position, as shown in; Fig, 1, the fluid Wllli'fiOW. from the tank a through the; conduit 1 26. until the previously moistened pad has becomethoroughlymoistened; thereby and thereafter the flowrofrfiuidi-through the conduit 26. W111 be directlyproportional to the amount of fluid which-ismemovedqfrom the pad either by;

use orbyevaporation, so that the amount'of moisture inthe pad remains constant.

The waterwwill' naturally fiow through the conduit 26 ratherthan through the conduit -2'5 -as.it is; the shorter and therefore offersthe lesser'resistance, and yet: both of saidconduits-arepreferably of such a com- 7 paratively small diameter that 7 air and water: cannot'readily fiowin opposite directions at thesametime through either of them;- The 1 weight of'therfiuid together with theielastic pressureiof the comparatively small amount of air abovethe surfaceof; the; fiuid'in thetank only sufficient to force the-fluid to theouter end of the .conduit- 26;- whereavglobule thereof starts to form andwvould formifit was not for the partially moistened pad 20"Wlll0l1. absorbs the fluid asit reaches thewouter end ofisaid conduit, and as the fluidis thus absorbed,

the-space in the tank above the fluid is increased, thereby'creating asuflicient vacuum therein to allow atmospheric pressure to force air up through the conduit 25 into said space where it will exert an elastic pressure to cause the fluid to flow down into the end of the conduit 26 to take the place of the fluid absorbed therefrom bythe pad, and this action will continue to occur while there is fluid in the tank untilt-he pad can absorb nomore ofthe fluid, at which time the flow thereof will cease but will imme diately act again upon the removal of water from the pad. 1

The fact that the flow of the fluid immediately ceases when the pad is thoroughly moistened shows thatthe capillarity of the pad actuates and regulates the'flow of fluid from the outer end of the conduit'26, al-

' though the flow of the fluid from the tank" The post 27 sustains the tank in an inclined position, when *the sealer is placed on a table or other support, to cause the fluid to flow down'against the forward end i of the tank, thereby submerging the inner out over the moistening pad'by a sudden jar ends of the conduits 25 and 26; so that the pad may be continually kept moistened.

Itis obvious that the resistance of the two conduits maybe varied in other ways than by varying the length thereof.

An important feature of the device is the factthat the two conduits may be and preferably are made of so small a diameter that there is little danger of fluid being splashed thereof,

The theory has been suggested that the flowof fluid from the conduit 26 creates a current from the inner end of the conduit 25 to the conduit 26 which results in an action similar to that of an injector which assists in drawing air through the conduit 25.

It has been found in practice that sometimes the flow occurs through-the conduit 25 instead of the conduit 26 and, accordingly, I find it is advantageousto locate the outer ends of both conduits against the inner end of the pad with the end of the conduit 25' nearer the top thereof. Also, it is thought possible that when the outer ends of both' conduits are thus located that the thOrough moistening of the pad tends to seal. the air inlet conduit.

While I have shown and described and at tempted to explain the theory of operation 1' Easiness a moistening pad located. below said container said container having two conduits leading from the interior thereof to said moistening pa-d, said conduits so arranged and constructed as to maintain said moisten- .ing pad in a constant state of saturation by moisture supplied through one of said conduits. r

2. A moistening device of the character described comprisingafluid container and a m'oistening pad, said container having two downwardly inclined conduits of comparatively' small bore leading from the interior thereof to said moistening pad5 said conduits I so arranged as to maintain said moistening pad in a constant state o-f'saturation by moisture supplied through one of said conduits." f- I I 3. A moistening device of the character described comprising a fluid container and a moisten'ing' pad, said container provided with two downwardly inclined conduits leading'from the interior thereofpto said moistening pad below the top surface of said moistening pad; said conduits so constructed and relatively positioned asto maintain said moistening pad in a constant state of saturation by moisture supplied through one of said conduits.

4: A moistening device of the character described comprising a fluid container and a moistening pad located below; said container, said containerhaving two conduitsin juxtaposition leading from I the interior thereof to said moistenin'g pad, said conduits so constructed as'to maintain said moisten-j ing pad in a constant state of saturation by moisture supplied through one of said-conduits.

5. A moistening device of the character descri'bed comprising a fluid container and a moistening pad located below said contai'ner, said container having two conduits of different lengths leading from the interior thereof to said moistening pad, said c0ndu'it's so arranged as to maintain said moistening pad in a constant state of saturation by moisture supplied through one of said conduits.

6. A moistening device of the character described comprising a fluid container anda moistening pad located below said con tainer, said container providedwith two conduits" leading from the interior thereof to a side of said moistening'pad, with the outer end of one of said conduits closer to the top surface of said moistening' pad than th'eouterend of the other of said conduits.

7 A moistening device of the character described comprising a fluid container and a moistening'p'ad located below said container,-said'; container having two conduits of comparatively "small diameter leading" from the interior thereof to said moistening 1 pad, with the outer end'of one of said conduits closer to the top surface of said moisthereof to said moistening pad, with the tening pad than the outer end of the other outer end of one of said conduits closer to 10 of said conduits. the top surface of said lno istening pad than 8. A moistening device of the character the outer end of the other of said conduits. described comprising a fluid container and In testimony whereof I have affixed my a moistening pad located below said consignature. tainer, said container having tWo conduits in juxtaposition leading from the interior HAZEL C. KENDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

